Dryers for printing systems may utilize infrared (IR) heating elements or actively blown air in order to directly heat a web of print media to a temperature at which ink ejected onto the web dries. Because the web proceeds quickly through the dryer, a careful balance must be achieved between underheating the web (resulting in applied ink not fully drying) and overheating the web (resulting in scorching of the ink and/or print media). These issues may be further complicated by the arrangement of various elements within the dryer.
Thus, designers of dryers for printing systems continue to seek out enhanced techniques for ensuring that inked webs of print media are fully dried, and without scorching. This ensures that print quality remains at a desired level.